A Snake in the Grass
by Adventure-Seeking-Juliet
Summary: Everyone thought James and Lily were the golden couple, and they would have been, if it wasn't for Severus Snape. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A Snake in the Grass**

Written by: Adventure-Seeking-Juliet

For: Round Seven of the QLFC. My prompts are:"But not all dark places need light, I have to remember that." ―Jeanette Winterson, Oranges are Not the Only Fruit, Red nails, and _dialogue:_ "What are you smiling about?"

A/N Everyone thought James and Lily were the golden couple, and they would have been, if it wasn't for Severus Snape. AU.

* * *

_Halloween 1981_

_They'd been in hiding too long._ Or, at least, that was what James told himself. He and Lily were bored, melancholy in their isolation, that was the reason for all the fights.

He was lying to himself, and what's worse, he knew it.

It all came to a head on Halloween. Baby Harry was playing with some of his newly acquired toys, gifts from Sirius and Peter, while his parents watched on in silence. He was having a particularly fun time with his toy wand, and as James watched his young son twirl it, giggling in glee when it emitted sparks, he was tempted to go find his own wand. Harry loved to watch him spin it around.

"What are you smiling about?" Lily asked, quietly curious. She had been staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought.

"Harry," James replied instantly, "He's so innocent...he never notices the tense silences. Everything's a game to him." He paused before he could continue, annoyed at the note of bitterness that had crept into his voice. A part of him wished he could be as young and naive as his son, despite his age.

"You're right," Lily was quiet for a moment, pausing in her quiet musings to smile at their son, "_James...I think we need to talk_."

"Isn't that what we're doing now?" James asked, hopefully.

Lily gave him a sad, tired look, "I mean really talk. I need to tell you something, but _please_, can you promise me you'll actually listen?"

"What are you talking about, Lils? I always listen," James said with mock indignation. He smirked. He was trying to keep things funny. The two of them delved into serious topics far too often for his tastes.

Lily glared at him, "I've been trying to tell you for months now, and no matter what I say, you act like it's a joke."

James jumped to his feet, his glasses askew on his face, "Of course I do! That's how I deal with things, Lily. I thought you understood me well enough to realize that."

Lily, albeit a bit reluctantly, followed his lead and stood up, "I know. I'm sorry, but James I never meant for it to happen..."

"_Just spit it out, Evans,_" James snapped, accidentally dropping into her old nickname, a fact which wasn't lost on Lily.

"Fine," She replied, calmly, "Severus and I-"

James burst into laughter, "Oh, it's him is it? Good old, Snivellus. I should have_ fucking_ known..."

"I love him, James." Her green eyes were glassy, shimmering with unshed tears, and for a moment, James paused. Lily never cried. No matter how angry he was, he couldn't help but feel an edge of panic taking over. Lily was his rock, logical and loving, strong, but compassionate. He needed her, and instead, he was making her cry.

"Lily," He said, sadly, "Why? Him...of all people? After what he called you?"

She sighed, "It's always been him, James. _It will always be Severus._"

James felt his world crashing. His heart was beating erratically, like he was a lovesick teenager again, and his palms were dripping with sweat. He felt sick.

"What was I to you?" He whispered, his voice catching in his throat, "Some sort of sick experiment? A throwaway boy you could use for some _replacement_ for that snake?"

"No," Lily repeated, "Never. I care about you, James, I always have, _you know that."_

"Then you also know _he's_ the reason we've been stuck in this house. He's the one who told you-know-who about us. He doesn't give a damn about you, Lily. He's a sick, twisted, piece of shit-"

Lily slapped him. He was so shocked, he didn't even feel the sting.

"He's changed," She said, "He's a spy for Dumbledore. _He loves me_, James."

"Then why don't you go to him? You can leave right now. _Right fucking now._"

Lily sighed, "You know I can't do that. We have to protect Harry."

James gave her one last, steely glare, "Then, stay, if that's what you want, but you better not expect me to leave and let greasy-haired Sev move in. Harry is my son. He will never be his."

"I understand," Lily replied quietly, "I just wanted you to know. When all this is over, I want to be with Severus. I'm so sorry, James."

"Don't worry about it," he spat, sitting back down next to his son, "At least you can't leave me, " he said quietly, "Not yet, at least."

All the sudden, Lily gasped, "James. It's him. _James_."

"_Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!_"

* * *

A/N I hope someone happens to enjoy this angsty story. My overall prompt was to "destroy someone's ship." I was given a list of different pairing, but in the end, I decided to destroy James/Lily using Severus. Just to give you some background, I ship both James/Lily and Lily/Severus, so this was an interesting fic that I enjoyed writing. Reviews are appreciated.


	2. In response to your response

In response to the response of _A Snake in the Grass:_

I'm sorry to announce that this is not an update; however, I, after much consideration, have decided to make a public reply to all of the reviews my fic has received. (I would have just replied to the individuals themselves, but most of you were anonymous, so I was unable to do so.)

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews, whatever the content. I always appreciate someone taking the time to leave helpful remarks.

That being said, I feel like some people misunderstood the intent of this story. I wrote this as a reaction to a prompt I received. According to the rules, I had to "destroy" a beloved ship of a particular, designated person. As it so happened, her favorite ship was James/Lily.

Firstly, I'd like to explain a few things to _Bree. _I feel like you were a bit snippy with your review. As I said, I still appreciate your review, but hell, you could be a little nicer, dear; I did not go out of my way to write a story which would make you uncomfortable, and I am sorry if you disagreed with my characterizations. However, as stated above, this fic was a reply to a prompt. I wanted to completely destroy James, Lily, and their "perfect" relationship. I did this by creating strife in their relationship; it is meant to appear illogical, unstable, and upsetting.

As for your statements about Lily, I'd like to say that Lily did not marry a man she did not love. Of course she loved James (you're right, why _would_ she marry someone she didn't love?) _However_, she also cared about Snape. As stated in the summary of this story, it takes place in an _alternate universe. _In said universe, it can be assumed that Lily, at some point after marrying James, befriended Severus, and eventually, developed romantic feelings for him. I was not trying to give the impression that she randomly married James, but there are some inferences that as a reader, one should make. I'm sorry that my writing was not clear enough to help lead you to those assumptions. (And yes, I am aware that she tells James "It was always Snape." Once again, one should infer that she cared for Severus, even when he made bad choices. As a result of his choices, she decided not to associate with him, but that doesn't mean she didn't care for him.) Furthermore, by Halloween, you have to keep in mind that Lily has been attempting to speak to James _for months_. He constantly ignores or makes a joke of her attempts to explain. In my opinion, she'd be very fed up. She was trying to do the right thing by speaking with him, and he reacted in a manner very typical of James Potter_, with immaturity. _

To _Gues_t, I must thank you for explaining your point of view in a kind manner. Unfortunately, I once again feel the need to point out that this story is set in _alternate universe. _You said, and I quote, "and as for Snape being a spy, Lily died not knowing Snape turned. Snape, despite his one bright spot of turning spy, still remained a bitter, hate-filled, asshole who couldn't get past old grudges." Now, since this story is an AU, I have changed that fact. Obviously, in this universe, Lily has been in contact with Severus, and he has revealed to her his true intentions in regards to Voldemort. I'm a bit confused as to why you so passionately defend James and persecute Snape. As I said in the final A/N, I ship both James/Lily and Snape/Lily. I view both men objectively, and I have to say that neither man was wholly good or bad. They both make stupid choices, for selfish reasons. That being said, this story does not reflect my personal viewpoint of either James or Snape. Nor does it reflect my opinion of Lily, whom I happen to respect, despite, as _Bree_ so quaintly pointed out, my portraying her as a "really cold-hearted, self-centered asshole.." The same goes for James and Snape. I, personally, like and respect both men. I'd like to thank you for your critique. I found your pro-James point of view very interesting.

Also, to _Alethea27, _thank you for your comments. I found them very interesting, and I'm terribly sorry you've had to deal with bullying. The school I used to attend had a terrible reputation for bullying issues, and many people I cared about suffered as a result. I hope things are better for you now, and if not, feel free to rant to me, if you want, I'm a pretty good listener. In response to your passionate defense of Snape, I must conclude that you make many good points. I think Snape is probably the most interesting of all of Rowling's characters, mainly because of his moral duality.

_However, once again, I'd like to reiterate that as much as I appreciated everyone's opinions, I see Severus and James as very objective characters. Both men have made bad choices, and I don't see either of them as better than the other. They, like all of us, are human, and they make mistakes._

_If you have any more comments, feel free to leave another review or message me privately._


End file.
